EVANGELIZATION & A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE KERYGMA

REFLECTION ON EVANGELII GAUDIUM 160-175

Daily Reading for Dec. 17: Evangelii Gaudium paragraphs 160-175

Reflection by Joan Jacoby

“Kerygma’ is a Greek word used in the New Testament – most essentially for “preaching” – teaching and evangelizing the good news of the Kingdom of God. Jesus incarnate came to be our Savior. We need to know and be intimately familiar with Jesus’ kerygma if we are to adequately preach and evangelize this “good news.” 

Since the baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan, Jesus began the Kingdom of God. Jesus brought the Kingdom to his people, he died for our sins, and was ascended into heaven, leaving us with the gifts of the Eucharist and the Holy Spirit. 

The message is not only to tell us to repent and believe in the good news – but to know God, to be aware of our desire for the infinite, and for the desire to know God as perfect truth, love, goodness, beauty, and being. 

All catechesis is centered on this basis of Christ’s coming to be our Savior. We need to know, live, evangelize and proclaim this salvation of the world……..of the reality of Jesus Christ to all.

The moral component of catechesis should lead us to a desire for fidelity and devotion to the Gospel and to desire to seek, know, and do God’s will in everything we do.

Joan M. Jacoby is the former owner and President of Jacoby Commercial Real Estate Services Company. After twenty years of executive leadership in her company she decided to dedicate herself to the mission of education in the area of reason and faith. After joining the Magis Institute Board of Directors, and meeting Fr. Spitzer in 2009, she decided to sell her part of the partnership in her company, and become the Administrative Officer for the Magis Institute.

Since that time, she has been actively involved in the creation of all sixteen products in the Magis Institute’s six product lines, has been at the center of the operational administration of the Institute, and has assisted Fr. Spitzer in virtually every phase of the Institute’s development. She is the Institute’s key contact person.